One Night in Drake Mansion

4 stars

One day the entire Drake family and the magician with whose show they attended disappeared into the pages of history. Then several workmen are killed at the site of their home.

Now eighty years later the house has been opened again to a reality program who is offering five contestants a share of one million dollars if they manage to spend one night in the mansion. They contestants are a melange of odd-types, but are willing to give it a go. They are accompanied by a horde of camera and sound people into the old house.

Things begin to go wrong from the very start of the contestants’ quest.

This is the unusual story of an obsessed man, who is perhaps more than a little off kilter. It begins with our intrepid hodge podge of people who want to get rich or just get camera time for camera time’s sake. The cast of characters is pretty formulaic and their behavior is predictable to a fault. But the twist in this story is when Drake’s journal is found. As Harlan and Vieve read it, it reveals a whole new universe of wacky and sinister behavior. Thus the story weaves back and forth between the present and eighty years in the past.

All in all, this is a very good book. Once the reader is able to put aside the formula characters, the plot line is fresh and original. I am not certain what I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised at the turn the book took into the bizarre. From the predictable to a philosophical discussion of the supernatural and human nature, this book takes the reader on a ride for sure. This is my first Channing Whitaker novel, and I immediately went to Amazon to look for other books by this author.

I want to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for forwarding to me a copy of this most entertaining book for me to read, enjoy and review.

This was a very compelling story. It is obvious the author researched the background of this book and the mechanics of paranormal research. There was almost too much information to understand. However, the story line was tight and compelling and well worth his small price of $2.99. I normally do not care for horror novels with the exceptions of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Peter Straub. With a small amount of polishing, this author has the ability to reach those heights

Thoroughly enjoyed this story!

I thought this was very well written and kept me interested until the end. I’m always the skeptic so I could related to Harlan. The other characters were well done for what they were. Anyone who has ever watched any of the ghost hunter shows will understand the scientist (and I use the term loosely), the actress for the face, and the psychic for just being “out there”, and one who grew up there and knew about the stories. The story bounces back and forth between current time and eighty years in the past thanks to Drake’s journal. This is a different take on the whole haunting thing and for that I really enjoyed it. I look forward to reading more by Mr. Whitaker.

I received an ARC. This is my honest review.

Loved it! Was not what I expected but I really enjoyed it. So much so that I read the second book. Mystery with a little bit of romance!

Here’s a book that feels a lot like Shirley Jackson’s classic The Haunting of Hill House with a modern twist. A reality TV show has offered a reward of one million dollars to be split between five people if they manage to stay in a famous haunted house (the Drake Mansion) from dusk until dawn. One’s an actress, one’s a medium, one’s a ghost hunter, one’s a medical student, and one’s a supernatural debunker. Everyone is very excited when they enter the house and start to explore, wondering why a whole family disappeared here eighty years before and why so many people who have entered the house since have died.

Then, as you might imagine, strange things start to happen—things the paranormal enthusiasts instantly claim are signs of ghosts while the skeptic offers completely plausible non-supernatural explanations. To add tension to the story, the group comes across the journal of Drake, the former owner of the mansion, and we begin to relive the experiences of him and his family just before they disappeared, raising the very real probability that the mansion really is haunted.

I’m not going to give away the ending. It’s extremely well crafted and will have you playing with both supernatural and mundane explanations for what is happening in the mansion. I will say, it’s exciting to the end and a totally satisfying resolution to the mystery.

thriller

Good characters. Well paced story

A good read with a several twists.

Wow. I was not disappointed. I loved the character creations, they felt so realistic and sincere. I loved how they would interact with the plot points and I never got a generic, heard this a million times, feeling. It was constantly delivering and was punch after punch of facts. That’s what made this so amazing…Harlan! Wow! The usage of a skeptic character in the paranormal field is so brilliantly beautiful I can’t believe I haven’t seen more like this. Harlan’s character gives such a contradictory element from what is expected in paranormal or horror novels. This plot line is creative and it was very well executed. It flows naturally and the changes in perspectives and information make it an easy read. The author provided contradictions on whether what was happening was real or supernatural. I was given raw human emotional concepts, as well as existential thought provoking issues. I felt anticipation while reading and I actually really grew to love these characters. I’m honestly so excited I found this, thank you Goodreads! I loved it and I’m ready to dig into this series.

I really enjoyed this! Kept me turning the pages and wanting more. Highly recommended! Now I find myself patiently waiting for a sequel….

I received a copy of this book for free from the author for review purposes.